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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
LIVE UPDATES FROM WOMEN’S ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS
By Shane Stokes
23 Jun 2012,
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14.30: We start the live coverage of the women’s road race championships one lap into the race. The women will cover seven laps of the same circuit as the veterans, meaning that their race is mainly flat.
On the first lap, Orla Hendron (Orwell Wheelers – DTC) jumped clear and build a decent lead, then was joined soon afterwards by Roisin Kennedy (ESB) and Amy Brice (Phoenix CC). They had a lead going over the finish line.
14.34: The three leaders are 45 seconds clear. Defending champion Siobhan Horgan (GSD) has attacked from the bunch in pursuit, but the move has been covered by 2010 winner Olivia Dillon (Now and Novaris). The bunch then got back to both of them, and is 44 seconds back.
A total of 28 riders started this year’s event.
14.40: They have been caught.
14.42: Brice clips away again with Sandra Fitzgerald (Garda CC).
14.46: They are now 50 seconds ahead and heading towards the end of lap two. Behind, Mel Spath (Cycleways) accelerated to try to spur the bunch into a chase.
14.50: The lead is up to one minute now.
14.52: Fitzgerald now pushed on ahead of Brice, who burned up some energy in that earlier move.
Behind, Spath attacked but Horgan closed it down.
14.55: Fiona Meade (St. Finbarr’s) has attacked. She is 42 seconds back, with the main field eight seconds further back again.
14.57: Two others got across, but the main bunch reeled those three in. It’s also caught Brice, while Fitzgerald has 35 seconds.
15.00: The pressure has shed more riders from the bunch, and brought the gap down to 27 seconds.
15.03: Fitzgerald is now twelve seconds clear of nine chasers: Horgan, Meade, Eve McCrystal (Garda CC), Dillon, Lydia Boylan (Look Mum No Hands), Mel Spath (Cycleways), Louise Moriarty (Look Mum No Hands), Michelle Geoghegan (Steeds Vooraan) and Amy Brice (Phoenix CC).
15.07: Fitzgerald has been caught by the chasers, so there’s ten riders in the lead group now.
Mary Costello (Alliance Environmental) and Francine Meehan (Tullamore) get across now, making it a dozen in the lead.
15.12: Lydia Boylan (Look Mum No Hands) is 15 seconds clear now.
15.21: Again, Spath is driving things along but that is covered by the peloton. Boylan is 23 seconds ahead.
15.24: Boylan has been caught, and the lead group has split. There are eight leaders now; Boylan, Spath, Horgan, Dillon, Moriarty, Geoghegan, Eve McCrystal (Garda CC) and her team-mate Sandra Fizgerald.
15.30: There’s nine-woman group chasing behind; Meade is there, Costello, Emma Walsh (Dungarvan CC), Brice, Judith Russell (Phoenix CC), Kennedy, Fran Meehan (Tullamore) and Anne Dalton (Orwell Wheelers DTC) and Sinead Rivers (Roe Valley).
15.37: The gap is 25 seconds between the two groups.
15.43: The rain is falling again, and quite heavily. We are heading towards the start/finish again and once we get there, there will be just two laps left.
15.50: Things are stable in the lead group, but the chase group is slipping further back.
15.54: After 63 kilometres of racing, Olivia Dillon has surged clear. She has a slight lead, while the chase group is now one minute and 12 seconds back and losing more time.
15.55: Dillon has only a slight lead; Horgan is chasing hard, putting Fitzgerald out the back of that group.
15.56: Horgan brought the others back to Dillon, so it’s all together once again. Fitzgerald got back up again. We are on the penultimate lap, and so things should liven up somewhat.
On the climb, Fitzgerald, Moriarty and McCrystal are under pressure. Spath is driving the pace now, trying to break the elastic.
16.04: Moriarty has been dropped with Fitzgerland. Spath, Dillon and Horgan are going clear now…this looks important…
Boylan is also there, so there are four leaders… We are getting close to the finish and the bell for the final lap.
16.16: The riders are on the final lap now; the four leaders are 43 seconds ahead of the next riders, Moriary, McCrystal, Geoghegan and Fitzgerald.
It’s going to be real war here over these final kilometres.
16.20: Dillon attacks on a drag…Horgan chases with the others close by, then tries to get clear. Horgan then surges but is caught.
16.25: Dillon tries again but the others come back to her. Meanwhile the four chasers are over a minute back, so the medals will go to those out front. Too late for a comeback from behind…
16.28: Now Horgan tries; again, same result. Everything comes back together once again.
16.30: There have been plenty of attacks but nobody can get clear from this front group...
16.33: All together heading into the final kilometre...who will get it?
16.34: It's a drag up to this finish line...they are all going for it. Mel Spath gets it! She finishes comfortably ahead, grabbing a fine victory.
16.38: Spath is from Germany but declared for Ireland. Her husband is Ryan Sherlock, who will compete in the Elite road race tomorrow.
Horgan took second with Dillon third, so there's the medals for this year... Boylan grabs fourth place, but that too is a good performance.
We'll leave it there for now as we've got to get interviews; we'll have a report and results later, plus a couple of video interviews. Thanks for reading!
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